The author says that first you must experience great pain to call forth the courage to change. The only real change is deep change, and deep change is itself painful. You must take the Hero's Journey to become a transformational leader. When you undergo the deep change, you become aligned with your values and the world. You then make deep and transformational change in your organization, because it's the right thing to do, and your moral authority attracts others to join you. Sadly, most of the big names in Organizational Development think change is nearly impossible.
Fortunately, I've come to appreciate that interpersonal and organizational change happens as a result of skill. It's not mystical or spiritual. It's a skill like skiing (but quite a bit more difficult).
Most of Quinn's clients seem to ignore his advice (to do deep change).
As a potential buyer of this book, do you think you will learn to love skiing and have a blast doing it, if the instructor thinks you have to first suffer greatly, then break your legs, before you can transform yourself into the being of a master skier?
If you want to learn how to do change work, don't read business books. Read modern therapy and human potential books. When you understand the workings of the human mind and therapeutic change techniques, you understand how to change yourself and influence those around you. The more you practice the better you become.
If you want to make skiing mystical, philisophical, and some painful right of passage, go for it. My preference is make if fun and a great ride.
Good intentions, nice metaphors and stories, but off the mark for the reader who wants to do (without the pain).
I also believe that Robert Quinn is correct when he maintains that people and organization have but two main choices...
1. Slow death, or 2. Deep change
Quinn maintains that today it is impossible to remain the same because everything around us is changing, and therefore we must change.
Early in his book, on page 6, he says, "It is now widely recognized that to remain competitive in today's global enviroment organizations must frequently make deep change. What is not so widely recognized is that organizational members must also make deep change."
He continues by saying, "...an organic organization is one that is responsive, acts quickly and in coordinated way, and can adjust and learn and grow." "...only organic individuals can create an organic organization."